----- Original Message -----

From: Info Compliance [infstaff]

To: ian.benson22@btinternet.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 4:49 PM
Subject: Freedom of Information request - FOI_2010_38 - Terrorism legislation

Dear Mr Benson,

I am writing in response to your recent request for the following information under the Freedom of
Information Act.  Please accept my apologies for the slight delay in providing this information, and for
any inconvenience this may have caused.

1.    Does your institution provide any information or advice to students or staff on any potential
liability under Terrorism legislation which might result from accessing materials for teaching or
research? If so please provide copies of any documents held which detail or refer to such
information or advice.
 

No
 

2.    Does your institution have any kind of procedure to review or assess reading lists, module
descriptors or other teaching materials which explicitly or in practice considers questions of safety
and risk under terrorism legislation as part of its remit? For example does the institution have
anything similar or analogous to the 'module review process' established at Nottingham University
described here :
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=407122;
http://www.teachingterrorism.net/2009/08/03/nottingham-censorship-a-defence;
http://www.teachingterrorism.net/2009/08/06/is-vetting-at-nottingham-in-defence-of-
academic-freedom

If so please supply full details of this policy and procedure and advise when and how it
was decided upon and implemented.

      No

3.    Does your institution have any system, policy or procedure in place for dealing with any
potential actions taken by the authorities against the institution, its students or staff
under Terrorism legislation ? If so please supply a copy of the policy and advise the date it
was decided upon and implemented.
  

No

4.    Does your institution have any system, policy or procedure in place for ‘preventing
violent extremism’ as recommended for example in the government guidance document
‘Promoting Good Campus Relations’

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/tna/
+/http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/extremismhe.pdf

Please indicate what procedures or policy exist and advise when it was decided upon and
implemented, and provide copies of any documents held which detail or refer to such
policy or procedures.

Information Services Regulations (http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/is/regulations/isregs/)are in the process

of being amended to take into account issues around inciting hatred, and will include the following
wording:

3.13 Information Services users must not use the University network to create or display information
that could give offence to other reasonably minded people, including material calculated to incite
hatred of any particular individual(s) or racial or religious groups. This applies both to textual and
graphical material. If, as part of your research work you do need to create or display material that
reasonably minded people would find offensive you must ensure that your Head of Department is
made aware of your research requirements and that the Director of Information Services has similarly
been informed.

A working group on the prevention of terrorism has recently been established, and this group has
brought together various Heads of Department and Service and also considered any wider implications,
as well as liaising with the local Police experts.  In general anti-terrorism is embedded within the
departmental risk management process and therefore each department has considered the potential
implications for its own activities and actively manages it on a devolved basis.

If you are dissatisfied with this response, you may ask the University to conduct a review of its decision. 
To do this, please contact the Records Manager in writing (including by fax, letter or email), describe the
original request, explain your grounds for dissatisfaction, and include an address for correspondence. 
When the review process has been completed, if you are still dissatisfied, you may ask the Information
Commissioner to intervene. 

Yours sincerely,

 
Julie Archer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rheolwr Cofnodion / Records Manager

Llyfrgell Thomas Parry Library

Prifysgol Aberystwyth / Aberystwyth University

Llanbadarn Fawr

Aberystwyth

SY23 3AS

Ffôn / Tel. (01970-62)8593              (01970-62)8593      

E-bost / E-mail: infocompliance@aber.ac.uk

Gwefan / Website: http://www.aber.ac.uk/infocompliance/